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EA's new Skate 3 trailer touts team-play as the stand-out addition to the franchise. The new element allows players to tackle challenges and compete against other teams online for popularity within the Skate.Feed community. Of course, it's just as easy to become unpopular, too -- just ask the guy in the short shorts.

EA Black Box is once again handling the development of the game, building on the, um, building features of Skate 2. The studio is working to greatly improve the film maker and skate park editor, as well as adding new features such as an in-game and web-based "social network," plus the ability to seamlessly share parks, board designs and other user-created content a la Forza 3's storefront.

Skate 3 is due in May 2010 for PS3 and Xbox 360.

The rumor is true: Skate 3 will hit the streets next May. But this time around, EA's skateboarding franchise takes the action outside of San Vanelona, bringing players to the new town of Port Carverton. That isn't the only new thing the third installment offers, however, as the press release promises players will be able to team up and form skate crews to "complete challenges together while advancing each other's careers." This even includes new challenges in the Hall of Meat and an all-new Skate school for players of all skill levels.

EA is also promoting the Skate Create feature suite, an "innovative toolset that empowers gamers to truly express their skate style by creating their own graphics, videos, and skate parks," which should be available both online and offline. And if you find yourself extra anxious to fork over money for the game well before its release, a pre-order bonus in an in-game area called Black Box Distribution Skate Park should tickle your fancy. This area is none other than the "home turf of Zero, Mystery, and Fallen skate teams."

Skate 3 will be available on Xbox 360 and PS3 in May 2010.

Apparently EA is working on a sequel to Skate 2, if the Epicly Trife twitter is to be believed. Epicly Trife (NSFW) is a site dedicated to skating, and its twitter account said the following: "I just got told 'tonight we gotta celebrate,' one of the bro's got offered to be in SKATE 3." By no means a confirmation, we're still excited, as Skate 2 was not only a great sequel, but pretty much the best skating sim around. Plus, it's much easier to get up after falling down four flights of stairs in a video game, as gravity is a much more harsh mistress in real life.

We've put in word to EA for comment, but with almost everyone taking the day off today, don't hold your breath for a response. We sure aren't.

[Via Kotaku]

Skate 2 may offer some excellent variety with its 50+ song soundtrack, but sometimes you just feel like skating to your own tunes. Developer EA Black Box knows this and has announced that it is finally patching custom soundtracks into the PS3 version of the game.

The update, which releases today, will include some minor bug fixes, removal of exploits and other adjustments. You can check out the full list of fixes after the break. Also, for the first song on your custom soundtrack ... go with some real hardcore thrash metal.

EA was kind enough to send over this trailer for the new Skate 2 DLC, Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Plaza. As you can see in the video above, it provides plenty of areas to get your shred on. One of the things we like about this DLC is its lack of vert areas. We're street skaters here at The Stiq.

Update: EA has dished out some screens for the DLC. Hit up the gallery below to check them out.

Unless you wanted to unlock everything the easy way or cut some awesome videos, there hasn't been much support in the way of DLC for us Skate 2 fans. That is, until now, as EA has unveiled Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Plaza for the game.

The new bit of DLC is available today on PSN and XBLM for $5.00 and 400, respectively, and allows skaters to blunt slide and manual around the centerpiece of Rob's MTV show, Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, as well as the surrounding downtown Los Angeles area. Rob was pretty impressed with Black Box's job of recreating the space in the game, as he comments it has all of "the ledges, gaps and rails" of his showpiece, and "more surprises outside the park that both gamers and skaters will enjoy."

So who's going to shred up Rob's Fantasy Plaza?

EA's Skate 2 will be arriving on the PlayStation Store next week. Strange, considering the demo is available on Xbox Live this week. Maybe EA is playing console favorites again? (PSN has been home to demos of Lord of the Rings Conquest, The Simpsons Game and others earlier than on Xbox Live.) Regardless of the one week delay, PS3 fans can expect a lot to do in the demo, especially as it includes access to two online "Party Play" modes: Thrasher's Hall of Meat and Spot Battle.

Get ready to revisit the world of skate. Make sure you get some post-op sex surgery in order to get a Platinum. Confused? Read on.

In the digital world of skating video games, there are two contenders. EA's Skate franchise which has a sequel coming out next year and Tony Hawk, a franchise that has kinda lost its luster over the years. Recognizing this, the Skate 2 devs are adamant about not being like Mr. Hawk.

Talking with MTV Multiplayer, Skate 2 associate producer Shaun Laker made it clear that they aren't going down the same path that the Tony Hawk franchise did, avoiding such fate by simply listening to their community. "As long as we keep putting out great games and don't rush it out and polish it and make sure we're listening to the community and hearing what they're having to say [we will avoid that]," explained Laker, adding "we listen to the community and know what they're asking for and respond to that."

Keeping a franchise fresh by listening to a game's passionate community, implementing changes and serving up a polished product. Who would have thought something like that would work?

After years of tired Tony Hawk sequels, 2007's Skate was a refreshing change of pace. Black Box's interpretation of the sport was a far more realistic one. The innovative "flick" control scheme better emulated the experience of performing ollies, nollies, grabs and assorted flip tricks. Players were dropped into the fictional city of San Vanelona, a massive virtual playground where anything and everything could become the starting point of a skating line. So how will Black Box attempt to improve the experience in its follow-up, Skate 2? By giving you new things to do without your skateboard.

Skate 2 no longer glues your character to the board. With a simple press of a button, you can get off your board and start exploring the environment. New San Vanelona is a mix of old and new, and the city begs to be explored. No longer will you have to attempt to "glitch" the system to get to interesting skate points. You'll be able to walk up a set of stairs, for example. You'll be able to jump on top of a ledge. It's a simple addition, but it allows the world to be explored in far greater depth than before.

Remember not to spend all your money during Black Friday -- a good number of games are scheduled to release in the first part of 2009. Skate 2, EA's follow-up to 2007's innovative skateboarding game, is making a return to the PS3 on January 21st (23rd in Europe).

There are a couple of big new features in Skate 2, like the ability to get off one's board and traverse to areas previous inaccessible. Skaters can grab objects and set up new, crazy lines down their favorite routes. In addition, an online graphics creator gives you the ability to add your own custom textures to your boards. Pre-order the game to get access to the "Throwback Pack," a collection of retro accessories and clothing.

Just as your head begins to clear from downing your seventh pitcher of holiday eggnog, Electronic Arts announced plans to push off and catch a mad vert when Skate 2 nails its retail landing in January. The sequel will do a frontside 360 in North America on January 21, while skateboarders elsewhere will be able to get their trick on two days later on January 23.

Next month EA will also launch a Skate 2 web application, creatively titled "Graphics Creator," which will let players create customized graphics for their in-game decks and clothing. Additionally, would-be shredders in North America who pre-order Skate 2 will grab a code to unlock a "Throwback Pack" that will allow access to retro accessories, gestures and clothing. When you bail from a botched nosegrind, at least you'll look good in your Skate or Die shirt.

Those looking to roll down the streets of San Vanelona and perform some flips, ollies and [error: skateboarding lexicon gap] via nontraditional controllers should be pleased to note the release date of EA's Skate It for Wii and DS. Both versions are slated to arrive on November 19th in North America and November 20th in Europe.

Skate It, which offers optional Balance Board control on the Wii, allows players to "make skate spots their own by moving objects like ramps, rails, and benches to fit their individual skating styles" and partake in several multiplayer challenges, including Best Trick and Best Line. There's also the ominous-sounding chance of "getting worked in Hall of Meat." Pennywise, are you in this after all?

Are Scott Steinberg's words from back in July coming true? Hopefully more third-party developers will choose the PS3 as the lead platform from now on to ensure both versions are on par with one another.

[Via MaxConsole]

We've taken two things away from this Skate It trailer: first, that EA is quite proud of their EA Trax. Second, that the choice to wreck San Vanelona for the game was an inspired one. The environments on display in this trailer are insane. Black Box has pulled off a bit of a magic trick here; because of all the rubble, the Skate It courses look kind of like they used to be a real city, but they can be laid out with skateboarding in mind.

Our opinion might change for the worse if there are too many mysteriously banked sections of road and random short lengths of railing in any one location.